Love's Design
by midnightinjapan
Summary: Prompt: Nico is sent back in time. Percico - Percy/Nico
1. Chapter 1

This was supposed to be a ficlet for the last Percico Weekend but it's getting bigger than expected. I feel bad for making the prompter wait so I decided to post it in pieces as chapters.

* * *

Disclaimer: Characters, locations, etc are the property of Rick Riordan.

Edited by the fantastic Lordandladiesofthesilverscreen

* * *

As a piece of advice, never piss off a love goddess, especially not one as vain and childish as Aphrodite.

It was just a weak moment. He lost his temper at the celebration after Percy and Annabeth announced their plans to move to New Rome together. He stomped off and scared Jason away when he tried to follow. At the time he just kept thinking how unfair it was. He still couldn't help but blame the world and his own nature. A son of Hades –he was doomed to be unhappy and alone forever. Death wasn't warm or comforting, it was mysterious and lonely.

In a rage he shadow traveled back to Croatia and used his powers and his Stygian sword to vent his frustration at Cupid's temple. When he calmed down enough to realize what he'd done, he still didn't care. He sat down in the middle of the ruin and waited. The sun had gone down and even though the city was nearby, it wasn't nearly as bright as a city in America. The stars and moon were out too but it was still dark. It didn't bother him. In the dark was usually where he felt most peaceful. He could blend in and go unnoticed in the dark and he liked it that way.

He expected Cupid to show up and fill him full of arrows but it was Aphrodite who appeared in front of him instead. She was gorgeous –a raven haired beauty in an expensive looking red dress. There were rubies hanging around her neck and studded in her hair and she wore a pair of earrings shaped like tiny red roses. Judging from her outfit, he supposed they were having a party on Olympus too.

"Well, you've ruined the ruins of my son's temple," she said lightly. "Do you feel better now?"

"I'll probably never feel better!" he shouted.

"Oh, sweetheart there's no need to be so dramatic. Do you know how many young girls wish to be crossed in love?" Aphrodite strolled around the crumbling columns in her heels like it wasn't out of the ordinary at all.

"I don't care, I'm not one of them!" said Nico fighting back angry tears.

"I am sorry to see you so upset, but I promised to make Percy's love life interesting and you're an integral part of that," she said shrugging like the situation was beyond her control.

"You did this to me for that? Made me love him?" He stood up, barely able to contain his anger.

"You have to trust me. It'll get better."

"You can make it better right now." He was crying now and wiped the hot tears away furiously. "Take it away from me. I don't want to feel this way for him anymore."

"It's not as simple as all that. I have a plan-"

"I don't care about your stupid plan!"

Aphrodite looked angry then. Her brown eyes flashed unnaturally bright for a second and he felt the air settle around them. She walked back toward him, crushing bits and pieces of marble under her heels like acorns.

"I am so unappreciated," she muttered wrathfully to herself. "Try to make people happy…try to show them the beauty of love…" Nico's own anger was forgotten and he backed up away from the goddess as she advanced on him.

"Don't like my stupid plan? Fine," she said coolly. "Let's make a new one."

She reached out before he could pull away and touched his forehead with her index finger. The only thing he saw after that was darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

When he woke up he was lying face down on the ground. He groaned and pushed himself up, spitting grass out of his mouth, and looked around. The first thing that caught his eye was a glint of bright gold and then the not-too-distant sight of a valley. He was under a tree. And not just any tree. He recognized this place. It was Half-Blood Hill and he was under Thalia's tree with the Golden Fleece hanging over his head. But this wasn't right…Peleus wasn't there guarding it. And it was morning now when it had been night only a few minutes ago…in Croatia. What exactly had Aphrodite done?

There were shouts coming from the valley and he stood up to see if the party was still going, but what he saw was three demi-gods in armor running up the hill behind Chiron. And they were headed his way. Maybe they had noticed Peleus was gone. _Great_ , thought Nico. _And Aphrodite dumped me at the scene of the crime._ He waved awkwardly as Chiron galloped up but that ended when the old centaur leveled a spear at him.

"Are you after the Fleece?" he asked firmly.

"What?" Nico asked in shock.

"We were on guard duty when you just appeared on the ground!" said one of the demi-gods. She was a young girl in armor, but her long dark hair fanned out from under her helmet.

"Chiron, you know I wouldn't take the Fleece!" he said trying to slowly back away from the tip of the spear.

"Do I know you? You're a demi-god that much I can tell…"

"It's me? Nico? Son of Hades?"

All four of them gasped and stepped back like he was carrying a bomb. All the demi-gods were looking at Chiron nervously, but it was the brown haired girl who spoke up.

"First, Percy, and Thalia just came back yesterday, and now him! I thought Hades was the only one who kept his word?"

"Yes, this is troubling if what he says is true…"

"What?" he asked in complete confusion.

Nico wanted to scream that they'd all gone crazy but his instincts told him to calm down and think. They were acting like they didn't know who he was, even Chiron, like he wasn't even supposed to exist. He was starting to think Aphrodite had wiped away their memories but something nagged at his brain. The girl said that Thalia just came back…but no mention of the hunters.

_No! There's no way_, he thought. But it was the only thing that made sense. There was no dragon guarding the Fleece because they hadn't gotten a dragon yet! Aphrodite had sent him back in time to before he and Bianca had been discovered by Grover and brought to camp.

"You need to come with me," said Chiron lowering his spear. He turned to lead them back down the hill but the other kids were still eyeing Nico suspiciously, keeping their distance too thanks to his unnerving aura.

Chiron led him straight to the Big House and then dismissed the others so they could get back to guard duty. Mr. D wasn't around and Nico was disappointed. Dionysus wasn't exactly kind or generous but he could use another god's help right now. Once they were on the porch Chiron fitted himself back into his magical wheelchair, keeping an eye on Nico the whole time.

"Come inside," said the centaur as he wheeled into the house and headed for the office.

"Can you prove you are the son of Hades? When were you claimed? How old are you?" Chiron asked. He stopped the chair behind his desk and Nico sat down in a chair in front of him.

"Chiron, please listen to me. My name is Nico di Angelo, I'm fourteen, and…I'm from the future."

Chiron only stared at him but he counted that as a "go ahead".

"I am the son of Hades and I had an older sister, I mean have an older sister named Bianca."

"There are two of you?" he asked slowly. "Both children of Hades?"

"Yes. But we're still in hiding in this time. Grover will find us soon." That caught Chiron's attention.

"Grover Underwood?" he asked sitting up straighter.

"Yeah he finds me and my sister in a military boarding school. Our father put us in the Lotus Hotel in L.A. to hide us from Zeus and then had us moved to the school."

"…that makes sense…he would need to hide you after breaking the oath," said Chiron. He still sounded suspicious but Nico's heart was beating wildly. He needed Chiron to believe him and help him get home.

"But you still have not given me any proof that Hades is your father. Your aura is powerful, but-"

"Here," said Nico as he pulled his sword out of the chain he used as a belt and placed it on Chiron's desk. "Stygian Iron. Only children of the Underworld can wield it."

Chiron stared at the sword seriously and then glanced back at Nico.

"And you could only get such a weapon from the Underworld…" he said as if he was starting to believe.

"My Dad gave it to me along with this." Nico pulled the skull ring off of his left hand and put it next to the sword.

Chiron reached out like he was about to pick it up but his hand only got about three inches away before he yanked it back. He looked at Nico like he was a bomb now.

"But how? You said you were from the future? How are you here?"

"I…I made Aphrodite angry. She touched me and I woke up here," he said helplessly.

"How did you anger her?"

"I said that her making me fall in love with someone I couldn't have…that her plan was stupid," he explained as he flushed with embarrassment.

"Well…I'm surprised you're alive after an insult like that. The gods are hot-tempered and vengeful."

"I know that now, but what do I do? I can't stay here!"

"I'm afraid you may not have a choice, Mr. di Angelo. Unless you can find some way to appease Lady Aphrodite and earn her forgiveness," Chiron said sadly.

"Can't Mr. D just send me back?" Nico asked desperately.

"He's not here right now, but he should be back soon. I can put your case forward and ask, but I wouldn't pin my hopes on it, my boy."

"Great. So what do I do?"

"Eat, rest, try to figure out how to apologize?" Chiron offered. "I'm afraid we don't have a cabin dedicated Hades so we'll have to set you up in the Hermes cabin."

Of course his cabin wasn't here. He hadn't built it yet… Chiron studied him a bit longer and spoke again.

"There is a prophecy about the children of the Big Three…" Chiron started cautiously.

"Yeah, I know. It's not about me," Nico said dismissing the unspoken question.

"So, in your time…?"

"The prophecy has already come and gone. It was fulfilled."

"And since you are…here and Lady Aphrodite was the one to send you, I can gather that the world does not end?"

Nico was about to respond but Chiron held a hand up to stop him.

"I won't tempt the Fates by asking more. In fact, it would be best if you told no one else your story or gave away any more information, Mr. di Angelo," he said.

"Okay, yeah…"

"It may have been more irrational than she realized to send you here. This could alter everything and have devastating consequences. The damage you could cause would probably go beyond her abilities to fix it."

"What happens then?" Nico asked a little afraid.

"The Fates will step in and clean the mess…firstly, by eliminating you," Chiron said seriously.

"Okay," Nico said looking up nervously. "Don't tell anybody anything. Got it."

* * *

All-in-all it was a bad day. Chiron called for Connor and Travis Stoll to take him to the Hermes cabin. The place was packed with kids, exactly like he remembered from his first days at camp before he ran away. It was different back then. He was eleven and mesmerized with everything but now…

They got him a sleeping bag and all the other kids gave him a wide berth. It seemed word had gotten around already about him being a child of the Underworld. But he got really uncomfortable when it was time for dinner and he spotted Percy on the other side of the dining pavilion. He couldn't help but stare because this Percy was so different. He was younger with less muscle and height, but it was Percy. The same ruffled black hair and green eyes you could spot in a crowd. Nico watched as he burned some of the food on his plate and then went to sit down alone at the Poseidon table, but he had to shift his attention when Chiron called for silence.

"Heroes! As some of you know we have a new demi-god among us. Nico di Angelo, son of Hades," said Chiron gesturing to Nico. Suddenly he was the center of attention and that was never a good thing. A flurry of whispering broke out and some of the campers were even craning their necks to get a look at him. One of them was Percy.

"Capture the Flag is tonight and I expect-"

Nico tuned him out after that. He already knew the rules for Capture the Flag and just wanted to focus on making himself unnoticeable for the rest of dinner. What he got instead was mobbed right after dinner was over. His stomach did a flip when a younger Annabeth Chase approached him outside of the Pavilion. She didn't look that different. She wasn't as tall and her hair was a bit shorter, but that was all. Then again, he wasn't very good at appraising girls in detail…

"Hi, my name is Annabeth," she said holding her hand out for him to shake it, which he did half-heartedly.

"So, you're a child of Hades, one of the Big Three?"

"Yeah…"

"That's interesting," she said. Her eyes were examining him closely. For a moment he was afraid she would recognize him.

"Why?"

"Oh! Just because it's weird having children from all three at the same time. Have you met Percy and Thalia? Percy's the son of-"

"Poseidon," he said. "I know."

"How do you know?" she asked curiously.

"Uh," he stammered. "Chiron told me." He shouldn't have said anything. If anyone would be able to put this together, it was Annabeth, and that meant he needed to be extra careful around her.

"Yeah, I guess he would. Anyway, do you wanna be on our team for Capture the Flag?"

"Okay," he said because he honestly couldn't think of a reason not to.

"Great, with you, Thalia, and Percy that should allow for a more aggressive battle strategy."

She walked off muttering to herself about formations and effective misdirection. Nico had to resist the urge to laugh because there was something comforting in knowing Annabeth had always been…like that.

"Annabeth, wait up!" Thalia came out –giving him a look that was somewhere between curious and wary—and ran to catch up with Annabeth.

"Sorry about those two."

He froze and his heart dropped into his stomach. He'd planned on avoiding this if at all possible. What could be worse than this? Percy was standing in the entrance to the dining pavilion watching Annabeth and Thalia walk toward the armory. But he turned his attention back to Nico and gave him a cautious smile. It was weird how he looked so similar but different. He was dressed like he usually was in blue jeans and an orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, but his necklace only had two beads so far.

This Percy hadn't been on all the quests he needed to go on, seen all the things he needed to see to become the Percy that Nico knew in the present.

"Hi, I'm Percy."

What he wanted to say was, "I know," but he stopped and introduced himself like they were perfect strangers.

He followed Percy to the armory –like he didn't know where it was—and he learned some things. This Percy was only thirteen, younger than Nico, and he and Annabeth were just friends. The Fleece had just brought Thalia back to life so she and Annabeth were always together. They were catching up on all the time they'd missed. On top of that, Thalia had not taken the news about Luke especially well and Annabeth was the only one who could help her deal with it. Nico guessed that left Percy feeling like a third wheel, or worse, some kind of poor substitute for Luke.

Percy asked him questions too but he tried not to say much about himself. Mostly they talked about their abilities. Of course, Nico already knew most of the stuff Percy could do but when he started talking himself it was kind of embarrassing.

"You can summon the dead and make them fight for you?" Percy asked.

"Umm yeah," he said nervously. This was usually when people got freaked out by him.

"That's sounds cool," Percy said. He nodded in appreciation as he strapped on his breastplate.

Some of the tension drained out of Nico. He didn't realize it until that moment but he'd expected everything to be different. He thought Percy would be afraid of him this time around, even though he couldn't explain why. But he wasn't. Percy was as calm as ever around him.

They ran to meet up with their team in their half of the forest. The Athena cabin had formed a team with the Apollo and Hermes cabins, along with Percy, Nico, and Thalia. The opposing team was made up of the Ares, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, and Demeter cabins.

Annabeth was in full battle plan mode. She'd set up a white board and had multi-colored dry erase markers to draw with. She was going on about how the toughest resistance would come from the Hephaestus kids and their traps. The Ares cabin was too straight-forward most of the time. They would try to force an open battle and send out very few scouting teams. And of course the Aphrodite kids would fight alongside them. Annabeth wanted to use the Apollo kids to hold them back with their arrows, and the Athena kids would scout for the traps and disarm them. Since the Hermes kids were the best at moving across land and stealing, they would be sent out in smaller teams to go after the enemy flag.

"We have a rare opportunity to give our flag a strong defense. I'm placing Percy, Thalia, and Nico as guards. If you guys can work together then it could be a huge advantage."

That's how they ended up on guard at Zeus' Fist.

"So have you been to the Underworld?" Percy asked. They were standing spread apart facing the direction an attack was most likely to come from, according to Thalia.

"Yeah," he said.

"Me too," said Percy. "I think your Dad hates me."

"Don't take it personally. He doesn't like anyone really. So, what were you doing in the Underworld?"

He figured the natural thing to do was ask since he was pretending to be ignorant. In fact, he'd only heard his father's side of the first time Percy had visited the Underworld. And his Dad had said something along the lines of, "barged into my realm and accused me of the being a thief!"

"Oh, I just found out I was a demi-god last summer and-"

"Hey, this isn't story time," Thalia called. "We could be ambushed any minute."

Nico saw a small flash of annoyance from Percy but he stopped talking. Wow, he thought. He didn't know things had been so tense between them. Percy and Thalia were on pretty good terms in his time. Well, he did remember that there had been a lot of animosity between them when he'd first met them and Annabeth went missing. He'd even asked Percy if he and Thalia fought a lot.

"You can tell me later," Nico said and turned toward the trees.

"Where are you going?" asked Percy.

"Checking the perimeter for an ambush," Nico said and walked off into the tree line. He heard Thalia huff in irritation behind him.

She was so different. He knew she would eventually find her stride with the Hunters of Artemis but right now she was kind of bossy. It must be the Zeus in her coming out but it wasn't the same as it was with Jason. Or, maybe it was just the difference between Zeus' Roman and Greek personae manifesting itself in his children. Whatever the reason, it might get worse if all three of them stayed together for too long in one spot. He could see she and Percy were already having a silent power struggle.

He moved carefully into the trees, blending in with the shadows. He hadn't meant to get so into the game, but he did like Capture the Flag. He would just never say it out loud. When he was younger and on his own he would sometimes shadow travel back to camp just watch the game. He could hear shouts in the distance. It sounded like Clarisse calling out orders. Annabeth was right, the Ares cabin wanted an open fight.

The sky was suddenly filled with an orange glow and he turned to see a plum of fire shooting up. It was a long ways off and it wasn't Greek fire, so it was probably alright. He heard someone whisper and stopped.

"Oh man, I bet somebody got roasted!"

"Shh! We're close!"

It was three boys –Ares cabin by the looks of it- and they were far enough away that they didn't see him. Nico pulled the shadows around him and followed. They moved through the trees slowly trying to sneak up on Thalia and Percy. Nico held back because he knew there was no way Clarisse would expect these three to be enough against Percy, let alone Percy, Thalia, and another kid claiming to be just as powerful.

"Hey waterboy!" one of them yelled. "You and the Princess ready to hand over that flag?"

"I knew they would try this!" He heard Thalia growl.

More people came from the other side of the clearing. It was another group from the opposite team.

"You three take Princess Pine cone, we've got Jackson," one of them said with a cocky attitude.

"The nicknames need work, guys." Percy was trying to sound confident but they were outnumbered and there was no water close enough for him to use.

"Where is Nico?" Thalia asked.

"Who?" asked one of the guys.

"She means that new kid. The one who says he's the son of Hades," answered another.

"If you two were stupid enough to trust him, you deserved to get thrashed."

Nico was planning to attack from behind but that comment set his teeth on edge. He concentrated –feeling that tug in his gut—and his aura flared. He stepped out from the trees and Percy's face split into a grin. He had to focus on the goons in front of him to stop himself from blushing.

"I don't know," said Nico. "I think you're the stupid ones for walking into a trap." He pushed at them with his fear aura and watched as they paled and their eyes widened with freight.

"Get the flag! Hurry up!"

They were going to try to push past Percy and Thalia, but Thalia had her Medusa shield out now. It wasn't as powerful as Nico but it made them hesitate long enough for him to concentrate harder. The grass was dying around him and ground started crack in the clearing. Skeletons crawled out of the ground and one of the Ares boys looked like he was going to wet himself. There were a couple of gasps and screams but they tried to close ranks and stand their ground. The Ares kids stood in a circle with their sword out. They were surrounded by skeletons and Nico's fear triggering was undermining their courage.

"I think you guys should go," said Percy. "You're not getting this flag."

The horn sounded somewhere else in the forest and they knew the game was over. Annabeth's plan had worked. The kids from the Ares cabin ran off but threw some insults over their shoulders as they went. Mostly they called Nico a freak, but that was something he was used to hearing. He sent the skeletons back into the ground and when the boys were out of sight he sighed in relief. He was drowsy now and just wanted to curl up in his sleeping bag.

"I was right."

He almost jumped because Percy voice was closer than he expected. He turned and Percy was standing right next to him with a little smile on his face.

"Summoning undead warriors is really cool," he said. "And don't mind what those guys said. They're just mad they lost. And you scared the crap out of them," he laughed.

There was no stopping this blush so he just turned his head away to break free of those sea-green eyes.

"Yeah," said Thalia as she walked over to them. "You've got pretty good control over your powers." She was still giving Nico that wary look, but there was grudging respect in there too.

Their team came running back into the clearing, whooping and cheering as Annabeth waved the enemy flag. Thalia ran over to hug her immediately but Percy hung back with Nico.

"Hey, maybe we can hang out tomorrow?" he asked.

"Uh yeah. Sure," he said trying to sound normal.


	3. Chapter 3

He was called to the Big House early the next morning to see Chiron. Mr. D was back and even if it was slim, there was a chance of getting back to his own time. When he got to the house Chiron told him to take a seat on the porch with them. Mr. D eyed him with undisguised annoyance as Chiron set up for Pinochle.

"Hmm son of Hades alright," the god said in a bored tone. "And I see time is in flux around you. Hmph!" he said sharply. "I make one tiny mistake and I get banished here -unable to drink the very thing I invented! But Aphrodite breaks the rules and gets away with it by batting her eyelashes!"

"How was Lady Aphrodite even able to accomplish this?" asked Chiron.

"She was the last child of Uranus. Kronos is her brother -his fault she was born in the first place. Kronos is the Lord of Time but Aphrodite got a bit of the power. Not enough to care about."

Nico frowned. It was enough for **him** to care about.

"She can only cause short jumps in time. I take it you haven't come back too far?" he asked. Nico shook his head.

"Ah well, you see? She can't slow time down or speed it up like Kronos. This," he gestured at Nico, "is about the extent of it."

"But it's still enough to offend the Fates," said Chiron.

"Which is why she's banned from doing it. It could even cause Kronos to stir in his pit –feeling a power so close to his own. But if you look good in a skimpy dress Zeus looks the other way."

"Can you fix it? Send me back?" Nico asked hopefully.

"Nope. Not within my power," he said dismissively and pulled a can of diet coke out of thin air.

"But I can't stay here! My younger self will be here soon! Won't that be a problem?" he asked desperately.

"The boy has a point, Lord Dionysus. It would be a paradox and would spur the fates into action," Chiron said logically.

"Hmm," Mr. D said uninterested and started moving pieces around on the board.

"And," Chiron added thoughtfully. "It's possible Zeus doesn't know what Aphrodite has done, but I imagine he'll be angry when he finds out. He might even take it out on anyone who knew…"

Dionysus squinted at Chiron underneath his eyelids.

"You said it yourself, he'll make an excuse not to punish Aphrodite, but anyone else…" he said leadingly. "Do you want him to add more years to your sentence?"

They stared at each other for a long time. Chiron looked as benign as ever but Mr. D's face was grim and growing darker.

"I will go speak to Aphrodite. I'm not promising anything but if this blows up in her face then I'll tell Zeus that I tried to warn her of her foolishness."

"Thank you, Lord Dionysus," said Chiron.

Nico didn't feel reassured at all. It sounded like Mr. D was only trying to cover his own butt. He mumbled a quick thanks anyway but that was waved away as if it meant nothing. Chiron took him inside to find some spare clothes and even let him use the shower. When he left the Big House he tried to cover the orange camp T-shirt with his jacket. He'd never thought he'd wear one of these T-shirts because only people who belonged at Camp Half-Blood did. He kept his head down and walked back to the cabins as quickly as he could.

The Aphrodite cabin looked more like a Barbie Dream House. It was pink and he could see frilly curtains inside and smell some perfume scent drifting from it. He hesitated but took a deep breath and knocked. Someone peeked out of the left curtain and then heard giggling that made him feel self-conscious. The girl that opened the door was the same one who brought Chiron to Half-Blood Hill. She was wearing a soft blue sun dress and her hair was done up in a messy bun that still looked elegant.

"Yes?" she asked cautiously. She looked Nico up and down as if assessing the value of his wardrobe.

"Umm can I speak to your councilor?" he asked awkwardly.

"That's me. Silena Beauregard, councilor of cabin ten. What is it?"

He gulped and tried to keep his expression blank. He'd never really known her or even been in her line of sight while he was at camp, but everyone knew about Silena. A little leaked information aside, she'd died a hero in the Titan war, but here she was in front him.

"I know this is weird, but can we talk?" He glanced past her and saw eyes peeking out from the curtains. "Alone?" he added.

"Uh, I guess…" she said sounding very unsure. She stepped outside and closed the door behind her.

They walked away and Nico knew they were being watched, but tried not to turn around. He led Silena across the green where other kids were sitting or playing Frisbee. She was tense next to him, but he was used to having that effect on people.

"I need to ask you something," he began.

"Look, I didn't want to say anything in front of the cabin. My siblings can be…a little shallow and I didn't want to embarrass you, but I don't think you and I-"

"No! No, no, oh gods! I'm not asking you out or anything!" he said in a panic. "I mean, you're very pretty, but that's not what I'm asking!"

She looked relieved immediately and giggled at him.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" she said laughing. "It just happens a lot and I'm kind of dating someone right now and I didn't want to be mean to you!"

That made him feel more relaxed. She wasn't tense because he was weird, but because she thought she'd have to let him down. What people said about her was true. She was a lot nicer than most children of Aphrodite. He was sure that she and Piper would have gotten along.

"That's nice," he said without thinking. "I mean that you're dating someone. Is he nice?" he asked as they kept walking.

"His name is Charlie," she said blushing lightly. "He's so sweet. He made me this."

She lifted her right hand to show him a ring. It was made out of tiny links of bronze shaped like hearts that looped around her finger.

"So, what is it you want to ask me?"

"Do you know how…," he started and thought better about it. "Say someone offended your mother...on accident! How could they apologize?"

"But how could you have offended my mother?" asked Silena curiously.

"I was just asking because, because-"

"Because you offended my mother," she said knowingly. He only nodded since there was no point in denying it.

"I can't tell you how it happened or I'll be in more trouble, but please tell me how to fix it!"

"Well, I guess you could start by making an offering, but that might not be enough if it's really bad," she said it make like a question and whatever she saw on his face answered it.

"My mom likes things that are done in the name of love. Maybe you could make some grand romantic gesture, or help bring more love into the world?" she suggested and looked at Nico like she wished she could help more.

"Maybe…I might need to think about it for a while. Thanks for the advice, Silena."

"No problem. I've got to go. I have a date with Charlie."

She smiled and walked away toward the Hephaestus cabin. He watched her and wished he could do something to change her future, but without her death he wasn't certain they would have won the battle of Manhattan.


	4. Chapter 4

He saw Percy wave at him from the door of cabin three and shifted awkwardly as the son of Poseidon ran over to him.

"Hey," he said breathlessly. His cheeks were flushed, his eyes were bright, his hair had been tousled by the wind, and it just made Nico hate everything.

"Hey."

"Do you wanna go to sword practice with me?"

"Umm…"

"Ever since Luke left, I don't really have anyone to spar with. Oh, I keep forgetting you don't know much about Luke," he said dismally.

"Yeah, we can spar," he said suddenly. Percy looked at him in surprise and smiled. He didn't know if he was trying to change the subject because he was afraid he would reveal critical information or just to get that depressed look off Percy's face.

As they walked to the sword arena Percy gave him the Cliffs Notes version of what happened with Luke. It was clear that it was a sore spot for him so Nico just let him get it out without interrupting. They sparred and it was actually fun. He thought he could keep up with this younger Percy but he also suspected Percy was taking it easy on him at first. Luke must have been a good teacher because it got more difficult as they went on, but Nico refused to back down.

"You're good," Percy said when they finished.

"Not as good as I want to be. My Dad is always saying I need to train more."

He grabbed his jacket from the ground where he'd thrown it. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, he suddenly felt like he looked stupid in the orange T-shirt and wanted to cover it.

"Can I ask you something?" he said and Percy looked at him curiously.

"Do, do you talk about Luke with Annabeth? I mean I'm not complaining but she knew him too and maybe talking to her would help?"

The happy expression slid off of Percy's face and he looked at the ground.

"Annabeth took it really hard –Luke turning on us- and then Thalia came back. At first I thought it would…cheer her up. And it did! But then Annabeth had to tell her about Luke and now they're both depressed and I feel like I'm butting in. Especially since Thalia believes Luke is just confused and he can be saved. If I say anything different then they both get mad at me and…"

"I think you're right," Nico said quickly. "If Luke wants to be saved then he has to try to save himself first. Until then, you have to try to stop whatever he's up to."

Percy nodded and tried to brighten up but there was still a dark shadow over his face and Nico regretted bringing it up at all. Maybe it would have been better to say nothing since he came close to dropping a huge hint. He'd landed in a really dark time between Annabeth and Percy and it hurt him to see Percy like this. They said good-bye because they had to get back to their cabins before the dinner gong.

Inside the Hermes cabin they weren't even attempting to clean before inspection. It was noisy but he blocked it out and tried to think. He should have been figuring out how to get back to his own time but Percy's sad face was all he could see. It shouldn't be long now before Grover finds them and then calls for back-up. Annabeth would go missing and then the quest would start -the one that would kill Bianca. He'd be lying if he said he didn't want to stick around –hiding in the shadows to change that point in history—but the Fates would just kill him and fix it.

Maybe Aphrodite had sent him back to change something small. What was the point in sending someone to the past if you didn't want something changed? He had a random thought that maybe he would end up playing therapist for Percy and helping him with Annabeth. It was just a thought but it made his heart stop. He suddenly felt sick. He'd insulted her plan for Percy's love life, what better punishment than to make him help her with it?

Did she really send him here to help Percy and Annabeth get together? He was the only one who knew how their story would end.

Something that brings more love into the world…

He felt a hot rage building up in him and tried to push it down. This is what got him in trouble to begin with. He was being punished and if he wanted to go home he would have to accept it, even if that meant becoming the catalyst for his own unhappiness.

* * *

I know The Blood of Olympus is coming out tomorrow. Whatever happens to Percico in the final book, this story has nothing to do with it. It began before BoO and the book will not change how I end it. In fact, I may not even read the book until I finish here. So, please, no reviews comparing the two.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day Mr. D told him what he already knew.

"She said you can go back when you've learned your lesson and I told her good luck. Trying to teach a demi-god anything is something even Chiron has trouble with."

He bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from speaking. He was not in a very good mood and hearing a god trash talking demi-gods –like he doesn't have demi-god children of his own—just made him angrier. Still, it was no excuse to make the same mistake with a different god. After that he practically ran to cabin nine. Silena looked at him with more interest this time and when he told her his plan she looked impressed.

"Helping two lovers find one another would be a very nice gesture!" she said happily.

He grunted and kept looking at cabins as they walked.

"You don't seem happy to help," she said.

"It's…it's fine," he mumbled and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"How did you offend my mother?" she asked. He glanced at her but looked away quickly.

"Oh come on, I don't think telling me will make it worse. I'm trying to help, Nico."

"I yelled at her. Told her that her plan was stupid," he said without looking at her.

"Her plan for your love life?"

"Not really, it's complicated. The plan was for someone else's love life but involved me."

"Ah…did she make you love someone who didn't love you back?"

He nodded and stopped when he heard Silena sigh heavily.

"I'm sorry. She does that a lot. I don't really understand it either, but I guess even the pain from love is beautiful to a love goddess."

Silena stood there looking pretty and perfect in nothing but jeans and a camp T-shirt. Her long brown hair cascaded down in a loose curls and her make-up was nearly unnoticeable. She should have been the last person in the world to care about breaking hearts but right now she was looking at him with so much sadness and it made him want to tell her.

"I don't know if I can do it," he said painfully. "Make them fall in love." Her eyes widened with understanding.

"One of them is the one you love. Can you tell me who?"

It was burning him up inside and he wanted to tell –to talk to someone! Only Jason knew but he still didn't feel comfortable around him and he knew Jason felt the same way.

"I…"

"I won't tell. I promise," she said gently.

After everything else that had happened, maybe it was the time travel that pushed him over the edge. He'd probably never know for sure, but he did know one thing, that he was so tired of carrying this weight.

"Percy," he whispered and trained his eyes on the ground again. It felt he'd seared his mouth on his own confession.

For a few seconds the world was still and then he was enveloped in a warm hug that was as shocking as ice water. Silena hugged him tightly and he could feel his face burning. No one hugged him like this but Hazel. She didn't let go and he relaxed and hugged her back lightly. She smelled like honeysuckle and for reason it made him homesick, even though he had no home.

They let go and kept walking. She kept talking about nothing in particular: her father, how Drew was always making trouble in the cabin, how everyone was upset over Luke. She didn't ask him how he knew Percy. She didn't mention it at all and he was grateful because he already felt exposed and raw from telling her about his feelings. But thankfully she kept the subjects unimportant as they walked.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day Nico was sitting in the Amphitheater trying to figure out how to play Cupid when he could barely stand the guy. The campfire was a mopey blue color that he supposed he was responsible for but he couldn't help it. He wasn't in the best mood. Talking to Silena made him think –just for a second—that maybe Jason was right and people wouldn't push him away. It did feel good to have someone to talk to, someone who understood. Then he remembered that there was no Silena in his time. If she were there maybe he would feel better about admitting the truth. With her and Jason, he would have enough courage to tell Hazel at least.

He stared into the campfire and it started to change color. It turned a warm red before flaring up and making him jump back in his seat. When the fire calmed down, Lady Hestia was sitting there tending it. He walked over and sat down in front of the fire to her left.

"Hello, Lady Hestia."

"You've traveled far," she said, her eyes glowing warmly.

"I guess I have," he said, looking down at his hands.

"But you're still here at home and that means you are safe," she said lowering her brown shawl from her head.

"I don't know," he said uncertainly.

"I feel that you and I will speak many times in the future and each time I will tell you that your home is here, you just don't know it yet."

"I'm not sure I'll ever believe it."

"Your heart is heavy, I can see that, but when you find your happiness you'll see that you are right where you need to be. I'll leave you two to talk alone."

She faded from sight before he could ask her what she meant. He was alone for a few seconds before he heard the other person. The acoustics of the Amphitheater made it impossible not hear someone coming. As soon as Percy stepped inside his footsteps echoed all around and drew Nico's attention.

"Hey," Percy said sitting down on the ground beside him.

"Hey," Nico replied and tried not to look too long. Percy was wearing that crooked smile that always made him acutely aware of himself and he had to make an effort not to fidget. The fire changed from red to fuchsia. Percy glanced at it but Nico tried to pretend like he hadn't noticed.

"What are you doing here alone?" he asked Nico.

"I wasn't alone. Lady Hestia just left."

"Hestia the goddess?" Percy asked and looked around like he might still be able to spot her. Nico chuckled a little.

"Yeah, she's gone now. She was tending the fire. She does it all the time, you've probably just never noticed her. She likes it that way most of the time."

"But you notice her?"

"Yeah, I guess it's because I tend to go unnoticed and we have that in common. Plus, Lady Hestia is very accepting. She loves all her siblings and tries to help everyone."

He blushed when he noticed that he sounded silly and that Percy was watching him. But he nodded like he understood what Nico was saying. The fire glowed a bit pinker and Nico wanted to get away from it. Outted by a fire…that would suck.

"So," Percy said looking at the ground, "there's this rumor going around."

"Let me guess. It's about me?" He felt a little scared. What if everyone found out he was from the future? What if Silena told his biggest secret?

"Yeah, people are saying Silena Beauregard is cheating on Charlie Beckendorf with you."

The laughter burst out of him before he even had time to think. Percy looked at him in surprise but a slow smile was spreading across his face.

"I guess they're wrong?" he asked.

"So wrong!" Nico laughed. "We're just friends. She and Charlie are great together and I'm not interested in her that way."

"I knew it was stupid. Half the rumors that get started are just lies," he said grinning at Nico. "And you haven't been here long enough to like anyone."

"Yeah," he said looking into the fire.

"So, do you wanna come meet my friend, Blackjack?" Percy asked.

"Umm I…" He almost said that animals didn't like him, but he wasn't supposed to know who Blackjack was. "I guess?"

"Come on," Percy said happily.

It was a clear, mild day thanks to the magical weather control and he actually felt relaxed with Percy. The son of Poseidon was telling him about some prank the Stoll brothers had pulled a few weeks ago. They were walking toward the stables when they ran into Thalia and Annabeth. Percy and Annabeth smiled and waved at each other.

"Hey, we're going to archery, wanna come?" asked Annabeth.

"I was taking Nico to meet Blackjack," Percy said.

"Oh, he can meet the pegasi any time," Annabeth said dismissively.

"Yeah, we can go after, right Percy?" he asked hoping his face didn't give him away. The words felt like acid on his tongue.

"Sure, let's go, but I should tell you," he said smiling at Nico, "I really suck at archery."

"Well, I've never even tried," Nico said shrugging.

"Thalia has gotten really good at it!" Annabeth said proudly. Thalia shrugged it off but she was clearly proud too.

When they got to the archery field it was obvious Annabeth and Thalia were going to pair off together. He thought about just staying out of it but if that was the case he should have just kept going to the stables with Percy. If he wanted to go back to his time then he had to suck it up and make this work. Nico ground his teeth and summoned whatever courage it was that he used to plunge into battles with monsters.

"Hey Thalia? Do you think you can give me some pointers? I mean I'm a beginner and Annabeth says you're so good…"

"Yeah okay," she said uncertainly and walked over to help him.

Percy looked at them and then shrugged and walked over to partner with Annabeth. Things were kind of mechanical between him and Thalia, but it eased just a little when he let her take charge and followed all her advice. He glanced over at Percy and Annabeth and saw they were doing much better. Percy really was a terrible archer and they were laughing together at his last shot.

"You're not drawing back far enough," Thalia said.

"Oh, sorry," he said trying to focus again.

Percy and Annabeth's laughter made him feel like he was digesting rocks. At some point Percy tried to include him in the conversation but he pretended like he needed to focus on his shot. By the time it was over he just wanted to disappear somewhere but Percy was still set on going to the stables.

He met Blackjack but the other pegasi shied away from him. He knew Percy could talk to horses and he could see the confused look his face as the horses whinnied nervously at Nico. He didn't know what they were telling Percy but he could guess.

"It's a son of Hades thing," he told him.

"They're just being silly," said Percy. "Blackjack likes you!" In response, Blackjack stamped his hoof and Nico smiled quickly.

Once they were alone the tightness coiled in his stomach eased. This was the most time he'd ever spent around Percy and he had to admit it was probably the happiest he'd been a long time.


	7. Chapter 7

No satyrs were harmed in the writing of this chapter.

* * *

He thought about leaving. The summer term was coming to an end in a week. Percy would go back to New York and he couldn't do much about helping him and Annabeth after that. He couldn't wait and stay until next summer because that's when his younger self would show up with Bianca. Two versions of Nico di Angelo meeting up at the same point in time was sure to anger the Fates. Would they kill his younger self too or just him? And if so, does that mean his younger self would just grow up, make the same mistake, and then come back in time to die all over again?

Trying to figure it out wasn't worth the headache it was causing. He just knew he needed to get back to his time or get away. Getting back to the present meant putting his heart in a meat grinder. He was finally spending time with Percy and it was fun but now he had to use it to push Percy toward Annabeth.

Silena asked to see him after breakfast. As soon as they met up outside the dining pavilion he could hear a few people whispering. He glanced back just for a second and saw Percy looking at the two of them but he smiled when Nico looked at him and that was that. At least Percy knew the rumor was a lie. They walked to the lake together and Silena laughed when he told her what Percy said.

"It's my cabin. It's always my cabin usually. Rumors about who's dating who."

"Aren't you worried Charlie will hear?" he asked.

"He already knows. I told him before it got around. He knows we're just friends."

"I can't believe your cabin would spread rumors about you," he said in disbelief.

"Oh, it's just Drew. She's just…like that," Silena said sounding mildly annoyed.

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"It's weird. I've only met my mother once but judging from my siblings and kids from the other cabins, I think the gods have the ultimate form of multiple personality disorder. It's like their kids represent sides of them."

They sat down on the grass in front of the lake and watched as the water naiads teased and flirted with the satyrs.

"When I met my mom she told me I was special. I guess I was born from a side of her she doesn't show often," she said as she fiddled with the end of her French-braided hair.

"I think I'd like that side of her more," Nico said bitterly as he watched the naiads waving at one of the satyrs.

"Maybe, but I think it makes me weaker in some ways…"

"How could it? You're…you're great, Silena," he said awkwardly but honestly. She smiled but her eyes were still sad.

"Thanks but I don't know. Drew thinks we should play with people's love lives, have control. She's all about making boys pine for her. It's a powerful tool to be able to make people fall for you because then you can break their hearts, use them, hurt them," said Silena, looking thoughtful. "I don't think she'll ever fall in love herself. Part of me feels sorry for her but part of me thinks she's lucky. It hurts when someone says they care about you but then they just walk away. Drew will never experience that pain."

Knowledge tickled at the back of his mind and he thought maybe she was talking about Luke. He clenched his teeth. He couldn't say anything. She was his friend now and he couldn't help her.

"Anyway," she said sighing. "It also puts me in a bind because I want to help you, Nico. I know you want to make things right with my mother but I want to help you be with Percy," she said gently. "I can see that you really do care about him."

"I can't," he said. "If I ruin your mom's plan-"

"Maybe I can talk to her? There's a good chance she'll listen to me," she implored.

"It won't help. Percy's not…like me. He, he likes girls," he stuttered and felt himself blush.

"If I talk to my mother and convince her then she can help with that. It's just a matter of making him a little more open-minded."

He felt his heart speed up because it was almost too good to be true. A daughter of Aphrodite who believed in true love was offering to help him be with Percy. This was probably the best chance he would ever have and he knew he had to turn it down.

"It's fine, Silena. I can live with it," he said trying to sound indifferent.

"So, do you need help with Annabeth and Percy?" she asked quietly. He thought about it and decided refusing her once was about all the strength he had.

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'll see what I can do."

He just nodded and watched as the satyr attempted to grab one of the naiads but fell into water and floundered while the nymphs laughed. Nico wondered if they would do him a favor and drown him too if he asked nicely.


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey, Annabeth!"

Nico watched from the shadows of the tree line as Silena ran up to Annabeth and Thalia and handed them a pink flyer. He felt almost numb after turning down her offer to help him with Percy, but he embraced the detachment because it was the only way to get through this. Silena had the entire Aphrodite cabin handing out flyers. It took nothing for her to get Chiron's approval and now they were just hoping enough campers would show up, specifically the two she was talking to right now.

Silena said she would only use Charmspeak as a last resort to get people to come, but she was charming enough without it so he wasn't too worried. She even got Drew Tanaka in on it somehow. He walked toward the Amphitheater, making sure to keep a good distance away from where Silena was working. He needed the walk to clear his head and he needed to be somewhere easy for Percy to find. It had become Nico's go-to spot and if Percy was looking for him, he would look there first. Silena said to let Percy come to him. It would be suspicious if Nico went running up to him first with this.

The Amphitheater was empty at this time of day, which was always a relief. The stone benches were stacked like bleachers and divided by steps with a banner for each cabin hanging over each section. He took a seat on one of the bottom rows and stared at the fire. It turned a deep navy, reflecting his mood and making him frown and look away. He lay down, stretching out on the bench and occupied himself with cloud gazing to ignore the fire.

It took almost no time at all for Silena to come up with a plan that would involve the whole camp. A Buddy Relay where the Aphrodite cabin would pair up campers and set them against each other in games. She planned to pitch it like the Olympics to get approved. Of course, it was rigged so they could pair up Percy and Annabeth and force them to spend time together. Silena was persuading Annabeth and Thalia to participate and Nico had to sell it to Percy. He didn't think it would be too hard. If secretly watching Capture the Flag for so long had taught him anything, it was that Percy had a competitive streak a mile wide.

He heard footsteps and had to resist the urge to smile. It was a bittersweet feeling that Percy would seek out his company so easily now and he was plotting to throw Annabeth at him. He just needed to get back to his time and then leave. Even if Percy and Annabeth were going to live in New Rome, he couldn't stand the thought of sticking around in Camp Half-Blood when everything about it reminded him of Percy. It would be even worse now with all these new memories of spending time with him.

"Hey, did you hear about this thing the Aphrodite kids are doing?" Percy asked sitting down right next to Nico's head. He was so close that Nico caught that faint smell of sea water that clung to him. He sat up quickly and hunkered down in his aviator jacket.

"Yeah, they're passing out flyers," he said. The fire slowly transitioned to pink and Nico wondered if he could knock the bronze brazier over and smother the magic flames. He'd just apologize to Lady Hestia and make an offering to her.

"I know it might be stupid, but we should go!" said Percy, sounding high spirited.

Nico smiled and tried to hide it with the fur collar of his jacket. Turns out that competitiveness was stronger than he thought.

"You're laughing," Percy said while smiling himself. "Okay, stupid idea I guess."

"No, it's a good idea. I just didn't think you'd go for it," he replied.

"Me? I can't believe **you** want to. No offense, and it's not a bad thing," he added hastily, "but you're not very social."

"No offense taken," Nico shrugged. "I just…I know I make people uncomfortable so I'd rather keep to myself."

"That's not true. I'm sure plenty of other people would want to be friends with you if you gave them a chance. Look at Silena…and me!"

That did make him wonder. He'd always tried so hard to push future Percy away, even after he stopped blaming him for Bianca's death. He just figured it would be too painful to have Percy as a friend if he couldn't have him the way he really wanted. But right now with this Percy it was nice. He didn't exactly know why but he didn't feel the need to glare and snap at him. It did hurt, especially knowing what he had to do, but it felt so right. Maybe he could calm things down with Percy in the future before he left.

"I'll keep that in mind," he said.

"So, we partnering up for this thing tomorrow?"

"Umm I think your partners are picked for you," he said and watched as Percy's grin dipped a little. "But I'm sure it'll be fine," he said. "Maybe we can ask?"

That brought the grin back in full force and made Nico smile too but he wiped it off his face when he saw the fire drifting between deep pink at the bottom and pure white near the top. It was clearly time to pick a new hang out spot.

* * *

The next day he and Percy went to the sign-up table where Drew took great joy in telling them no they couldn't be a team because their partners would be chosen **for** them. Percy was a little crestfallen but Nico tried to get him back in a good mood, saying it would be a chance to see how they lined up against each other. He didn't know how the magic weather control worked but it was cooler today like someone had turned the temperature down to a setting like "super comfortable". There was a good turn out too and they even had audience made up of the campers who weren't participating. Chiron had come down to watch, but Mr. D was nowhere in sight. He was probably too busy not caring. Nico tried not to stare as Silena and some of her siblings sorted out the partners from the sign-up sheet. How she managed to pull all of this together in 24 hours amazed him.

"Hey guys!"

Annabeth and Thalia walked over to them and he silently thanked Silena for pulling this off. All that was left was…

"Thanks for coming out guys!" He looked over at the table and Silena was talking into a megaphone with a clipboard in her left hand. "Time to find out who your partners are!"

"Clarisse la Rue, you're with Clovis!" Somewhere out in the crowd they heard Clarisse shout "WHAT?" and a buzz of sniggering started.

"All partners are locked in so no complaining please," Silena said sweetly.

"Malcolm Edwards, you're with Connor Stoll!"

"Oh wow," Annabeth groaned. "Either those two will surprise us all or this is going to be hilarious."

"Percy Jackson, you're with Annabeth Chase!"

"Hey! You lucked out, Wise Girl!" Percy laughed.

"Just don't slow me down, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth teased. Nico felt like causing an earthquake just to stop this whole thing.

"Thalia Grace, you're with Charlie Beckendorf! Nico di Angelo, you're with me!"

He had to remember to thank Silena about fifty times in a row. She gave up being partnered with her boyfriend for him too. He was secretly worried about trying to team up with someone he wasn't used to.

Silena called out all the pairings and then announced that since she was participating, she would be turning the whole thing over to Drew, who looked way too smug once she got her hands on the megaphone.

"Promising to put her in charge was the best way to get her to help," Silena whispered when she came over to stand with him.

"Silena…" he started.

"Don't worry about it," she said gently and smiled. "What are friends for?"

"Okay guys the first event is the three-legged race!" Drew shouted through the megaphone.

There was a small field framed on three sides by the cabins, lake, and Arena and it had been converted into racing lanes with white paint lines on the grass. The air was filled with noise as spectators cheered and the teams teased each other. Every pair was given a bandana to tie their legs together and lined up at a lane. The finish line ribbon was held by two wood nymphs while Drew paced in front of it and stared at them all. Occasionally she would use her megaphone to shout at a couple that their bandana wasn't tied tight enough but finally she seemed pleased enough to start.

Silena put her thick dark hair up in a high ponytail and retied her shoes tighter. Normally Nico hated being touched, it hurt him too much to see how people flinched when they felt how cold he was but Silena was different. She threw her left arm over his shoulders and he timidly wrapped his right around her waist. They stood hip-to-hip and waited for the race to begin. He leaned forward to look down the starting lanes and glimpsed Percy and Annabeth looking happy and determined and flinched back from the sight.

"Hey," said Silena. "We got them together and that was the goal. Try not focus on them. We're in these events so we might as well have fun."

"Okay," Nico agreed but he secretly doubted that he would.

"Ready!" Drew yelled and the air suddenly filled with tension. "Set! GO!"

Sometimes having ADHD was useful. Like in battle, it allowed him to focus on a lot at once. He saw at least four teams fall within the first five steps and struggle to get back up with their legs tied. Clovis had fallen asleep and Clarisse actually had him hefted up under one arm while she ran. Connor and Malcolm were doing okay at first but then lost their sync and fell half-way to the finish. He and Silena were doing better than he expected. They were still up-right and running but Percy and Annabeth were beginning to pull ahead.

The roar of the other campers cheering faded into the background until he saw Thalia and Charlie. They must have been pacing themselves because they were outstripping both him and Silena and Percy and Annabeth. They hit the ribbon first, winning the race. Annabeth and Percy came in second with him and Silena in third. Surprisingly, Clarisse and Clovis came in fourth and once they were across the finish line she dropped the son of Hypnos on the ground, jarring him awake.

"I'm awake! Wait, what?" he asked looking around completely confused.

He and Silena were doubled over and huffing when she started giggling and then laughing hysterically. Nico had no idea what was so funny but he started chuckling at her.

"I…" She started but was hit by another fit of laughter. "I thought we were going to fall for sure!" she said doubling over again.

"Me too," he agreed and bent over to untie their legs. When he stood up Silena pulled him in for a hug.

"Do I get one for winning?" asked a deep voice. Nico looked up and then politely took a step back as Charlie hugged his girlfriend.

"Hey, good race," Percy said walking over. His face was flushed and his hair was even more ruffled than usual. Annabeth was busy hugging Thalia in the background.

"Thanks. You and Annabeth were great," he said trying to mean it.

"Oh yeah!" Silena said quickly. She pulled back from Charlie but held onto his hand.

"You and Annabeth really work well together! No wonder both your quests succeeded!"

"Yeah, we're just used to it I guess," Percy said modestly.

"Good job campers!" Drew's voice screeched through the megaphone.

"Why did you give her that thing?" Charlie asked Silena with a groan.

"Congratulations to Charlie and Thalia, I guess, but whatever! On to the next event!"


	9. Chapter 9

The next event was the most frustrating. Balloon shaving wasn't something he'd ever even heard of and he never wanted to do it again. Each team stood at a table with balloons covered in shaving cream. The object was for both partners to shave a balloon clean without popping it with the razor. Thirty minutes after Drew started the competition only Silena had managed to shave her balloon.

"It's a girl thing," she said smiling.

"Then why aren't any of the other girls able to do it?" asked Nico.

Clarisse had already popped four balloons and Clovis was slumped on the table, snoring face down in shaving cream. Annabeth and Percy were both hunched over their balloons and the only time either one of them spoke was call out, "I almost got it!" But then the balloon would pop. Charlie and Thalia weren't much better because both were on their second balloons.

"Umm I guess I've just had more practice…" said Silena looking at everyone else. "But you're close. Just do what I said. The razor is sharp so it doesn't really need your help, don't press down. Just let it slide."

He was half-way through his balloon and trying not to lose focus by checking on Percy and Annabeth. They were deep into the challenge and he couldn't tell if any actual bonding was going on. But Silena kept reminding him to let them be. If her mother said they were meant to be together then love would take its course. He'd actually popped his first balloon when she said that and pushed the thought away before it happened again.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as the razor slid over the delicate surface of his green balloon. With that he managed to scrap away the last line of shaving cream.

"Woohoo!" Silena yelled and held up their balloons for all to see. There were groans of disappointment and loud popping sounds as people gave up trying to be gentle with their razors. Drew rolled her eyes and put the megaphone up to her mouth.

"Well, Silena and that new kid, what's his name, did it or whatever." Chiron cleared his throat loudly and looked at Drew who gave him an exaggerated smile.

"Good job, you two!" she said with phony cheer. "Everyone please move to the arena. The chariot race is next!" There were confused looks and shouts of protest. Someone actually screamed.

"Oh calm down!" Drew barked through the megaphone. "This isn't going to be like the last one! We asked the Hephaestus cabin to do something useful for a change,"

"Hey!" Jake Mason shouted from the audience.

"And make us some remote control chariots that would need two people to control," said Drew ignoring him. "I know what you're all thinking, and I don't blame you but, they didn't know about the Couple Competition so they had no reason to sabotage. Isn't that right, Charles?" Charlie just glared at her until she moved on.

"Anyway, Tantalus isn't here and we have the Fleece now so the Stymphalian birds won't come back either. Everybody feel better? Good."

They all marched over to the arena and the crowd took their seats while the partners browsed the life-size chariots created by the Hephaestus cabin. They didn't need pegasi to pull them but had horse shaped mastheads on the front. There were little green stickers on the side of each one boosting that the chariots were made from 100% recycled celestial bronze. They'd been painted different colors and had two remote control pads mounted on their dashboards.

"Charlie!" Silena beamed and hugged him when she saw them.

"How did you guys do this so fast?" she asked. Charlie smiled down at her and if his dark skin would have allowed it, Nico was sure he'd be blushing.

"It's what we do," he shrugged.

Nico was examining an all-black chariot, walking around it to see every angle when Percy walked over to him.

"I knew you'd go for that one," he teased.

"Yeah, I guess it is a fairly obvious choice for me," he replied trying not to smile and failing.

"So, good job on the balloon thing."

"Thanks," said Nico.

"We haven't won a challenge yet," Percy said sounding a bit disappointed.

"Maybe you'll win this one?"

"Maybe…I still wish we could have teamed up together, just because I think our abilities are compatible," said Percy. Nico pretended to look closely at the horse mast on the chariot and fought down the heat rising in his stomach.

"Yeah, but you an Annabeth work so well together and we never have," he said.

"Annabeth and I are used to each other but that doesn't mean-"

"You like this one, Nico?" Silena asked. "Oh hey, Percy." She smiled and crossed her arms. "Ready for us to beat you again?"

"No way," Annabeth said. She walked over and stood beside Percy. "We're winning this one."

That caused an outbreak of similar declarations from the other teams until Drew's voice blasted from the megaphone.

"Contestants, pick your chariots and come on!" she yelled from the announcer's box. Thalia, who had her fingers in her ears, gave Drew a baleful look that probably went unnoticed.

"Gods, she's such a pain in the-"

"Dibs on this one!" Silena yelled and grabbed the remote set for the black chariot Nico had been looking at.

The teams wheeled their chariots up to the starting line and stood on a platform in the stands where they would be able to see clearly.

"I will briefly hand us over to someone who can explain how to work the chariots," said Drew. "But don't worry your wonderful game master will be back-"

The megaphone was snatched out of Drew's hand by Nyssa from the Hephaestus cabin.

"Okay, guys listen up for your controls tutorial!"

She took them through it step-by-step explaining that the left toggle switch took the chariots forward or backward. The right toggle switch controlled turning and the various buttons the conjoined remote deployed various weapon functions. The partners would have to work together to win. Drew glared at her back the entire time and when Nyssa was done she tossed the megaphone at Drew who barely caught it.

"Hope you weren't too bored through that, people," said Drew. "Switch on your chariots!"

Nico hit the start button and the red eyes of their masthead glowed.

"Ready!" Drew yelled. "Seeeet!"

"Just start the race!" Clarisse shouted.

"Go!" squealed Drew as she tossed her hair.

Nico pushed the toggle hard and their chariot zipped away from the start line with the rest. He swerved to the left as one chariot shot an eight foot flame out of the horse's nose. Someone launched a missile that blew a crater in front of Malcolm and Connor's chariot. He knew the silver chariot belonged to Percy and Annabeth and tried to avoid it but it was following his and Silena's.

"Anything you can do to get them off of us?" he asked.

"Umm how about this?" Silena pressed a button and red lasers shot out their masthead's eyes and blowing up the chariot in front of them. He heard a team cuss out loud as their black chariot rolled right through the wreckage. He wanted to shout out how cool that was but held it back. The silver chariot was still behind them.

"Oops," said Silena.

Percy and Annabeth's chariot launched something that looked like two rolling buzz saws at them. Nico swerved again and one of the saws hit Clarisse's crimson chariot and got stuck in the side.

"Bad move, Wise Girl!" Clarisse snarled and started to pursue the sliver chariot with her own. Predictably, her partner was busy snoozing so Clarisse was working both remotes on her own. She hit a button and Nico saw that it was her chariot with the flamethrower. She was laughing as she tried to melt Percy and Annabeth's chariot. Meanwhile Nico was coming up on a feud between Charlie and Thalia and Malcolm and Connor –who had somehow overcome the crater.

Charlie and Thalia were launching missiles and Malcolm and Connor's chariot had double barrel shotguns sticking out of its eyes.

"We gotta take them out," said Silena.

"I think you're getting too into this," Nico laughed as he watched her hit the laser button and blow out Malcolm and Connor's back wheel.

Their black chariot and Charlie and Thalia's blue one were both in the lead. Clarisse was too busy chasing down Annabeth and Percy and all the other chariots were destroyed. The finish line was close and Nico was working hard to avoid Thalia's missiles. The truth was that he was getting into this too and a certain part of himself liked that Percy wished he had teamed up with him. It made him feel guilty but Silena was right. They'd put Percy and Annabeth together, and encouraged them as much as they could. It was up to Aphrodite now.

Suddenly their chariot jumped high in the air and a missile that would have them sailed right under.

"I like that button!" Silena cried. Nico spun their chariot around drove it forward in reverse.

"What are you doing?" asked Silena.

"Use the lasers!" he said and saw the realization dawn on her.

She fired and hit the blue chariot, blowing the head off of its mast. The rest of the chariot blew up a second later and the only competition left was too far back to do anything. Nico and Silena's black chariot rolled across the finish line unchallenged and still in reverse. The crowd cheered and Percy and Annabeth's half melted silver chariot followed with Clarisse in third place still firing on them. Silena hugged him again and he laughed and hugged her back.

"Well if these matches are about compatibility there's no denying it!" said Drew. Silena pulled away and gave her half-sister a dirty look. Nico glanced over and saw Percy looking at them and turned away quickly. Charlie wasn't happy with Drew's implication either and soon all three of them were scowling at her, but she pretended like nothing was wrong.

"Congratulations!" she said happily. "Two in a row, now let's see if they can make it three! The last event is next!"


	10. Chapter 10

They left the arena with the other members of the Hephaestus cabin picking up the remains of the chariots. They would probably re-use the bronze again for weapons or maybe even rebuild the chariots. Nico couldn't help the small temptation to keep their black chariot. It was barely damaged but he let it go. Drew led them to the edge of the forest and turned around.

"I thought this event was too much like Capture the Flag but since I wasn't consulted I guess we just have to suffer through it," she said. "Each team has a tiny flag with their names on it."

She raised her fist and a bunch of flags were clutched in her perfect manicured fingers. Several nymphs appeared behind her and she gave each one a flag and they ran off into the forest.

"The nymphs will hide your flag in the forest and the first team to find theirs and bring it back will win the competition!" she said flashing a big smile.

"You're forbidden to split up from each other while you search. The nymphs will be watching. You'll have to use your natural compatibility and see if your combined skills make the cut. I think we all have our eye on a certain couple," she added with a wink. The other campers cheered but Silena looked like she wanted to make Drew eat her megaphone. Charlie shook his head and rolled his eyes, but Percy looked like he wanted to hurl a rock at her, which was surprising but then again Drew was very aggravating.

"Hmm," Drew said thoughtfully. "Maybe you better have some weapons just in case you run into monsters…" that got her another cough from Chiron.

They were allowed to go to the armory and choose a weapon. Nico stuck with his Stygian sword, Percy uncapped Riptide, Annabeth patted her dagger where it hung on her hip, and Charlie and Thalia ran back to their cabins to get their own. Silena asked him to come to the armory with her and help her pick something since she didn't keep weapons of her own. They picked through the piles of celestial bronze swords, looking for something that would fit her. He watched as Silena picked up a large, triangular dagger that looked suspiciously like Piper's Katoptris. She frowned at it and tossed it into another pile.

"I think I need a spear. I'm pretty good at handling them thanks to Clarisse," she said looking at the wall where the spears were propped.

"Clarisse taught you how to handle a spear?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, we're friends." She must have seen his face because her next frown was aimed at him. "Why is that weird? I'm friends with you, aren't I?"

"Yeah," he said quietly, feeling a bit ashamed.

"There's more to her, just like there's more to you. Ah, this one's nice!" she said grabbing one of the spears.

"Let's go before Drew starts-" she was interrupted by Drew's voice thundering through the air on the megaphone.

"Silena, will you hurry up?"

"Speak of the gorgon…" Silena sighed.

"I could always summon some zombies to chase her," Nico offered as they headed for the door. Silena laughed.

"Can I keep that option in my back pocket?"

* * *

"Now that we're all here," Drew said looking at Silena and Nico. "Contestants, get ready!" They all took their positions at the start line. "Set! Go!"

The crowd cheered again and they all took off into the forest. At first they all ran straight but soon started veering off. Clarisse had a grip on Clovis's forearm and seemed determined to keep him awake. They were the first to change course but the other teams started to peel off as well. Percy threw a glance at him over his shoulder when he Annabeth went to the right.

Once they were alone Nico called for a stop. Silena looked around, clutching her spear in her hand with the point aimed at the ground. Somehow her make-up had remained flawless through these events, which he found odd. They were both breathing hard but that wasn't the reason why he wanted to stop. The forest was getting thicker. The trees grew bigger and closer together in the middle and he didn't know if that meant more nature spirits would be watching them. He couldn't risk them hearing and telling Drew.

"Silena, we have to help Percy and Annabeth win," he whispered.

"Why?" she asked.

"They need this. Losing isn't helping them bond," he said.

"How would we even help? We can't stop all the other teams," she said.

"Yeah, I haven't exactly worked that part out, but I think they really need this. Plus, I don't think we need to win and give Drew another reason to make comments about us."

She seemed to consider his words for a minute and then nodded in agreement.

"We're going to need a fast plan. I can see Malcolm and Connor kinda having an advantage with their skills," he said looking around. Silena smiled suddenly.

"They're not the only ones with skills," she said happily. "I have an idea." She stuck her spear into the ground and backed up. Nico watched in confusion as she cupped her hands around her mouth and spoke.

"Could all the nature spirits who can hear me come out please?" he could feel the compulsion in her voice. She was Charmspeaking the forest.

He turned around in a circle and watched as the nymphs melted out of the trees and bushes around them. Soon they were surrounded by youthful girls with green tinted skin and gauzy dresses. They all had various leaves, flowers, or berries in their hair.

"Do any of you know where the flags were taken?" asked Silena. Some of the girls raised their hands.

"I would like for all of you who know where they are to go and find the flag that says "Annabeth and Percy" and bring back to us. The rest of you will go keep the other teams busy and stop them from finding their flags. Do you understand?" she asked very clearly and all the girls nodded as if in a trance.

"Good. Now go." They fanned out and ran into the forest and Nico grinned at Silena.

"You're good," he said in appreciation.

"Thank you," she said proudly.

"So we just wait?" he asked. "How do we get the flag to them?"

"Love should be hard won so maybe we should make them work for it?" she said smiling. Nico tried not to think about how that sounded like something Cupid would say.

"We put the flag somewhere and I could Charmspeak a monster into guarding it?" she suggested.

"That might work," he agreed. "Now we need a monster. And we need to make this look convincing."

* * *

Percy was getting frustrated with nature. He and Annabeth were chasing after a nymph that had stolen Annabeth's dagger. The nymph zigzagged through the trees and giggled at him over her shoulder. He tried to tackle her to the ground but she disappeared into a tree. He ended up covered in dirt and spitting dead leaves out of his mouth, but the dagger was on the ground right in front of him.

"Here," he said handing it back to Annabeth.

"This is ridiculous," she said. "There's no way to know where they took the flags!" she growled in frustration. "I can't believe we weren't even given a hint or a lead, what kind of system-"

A roar vibrated through the air and shook the branches of the trees. He and Annabeth immediately stood back-to-back and looked around for any threats. The roar rumbled again but didn't sound like it was coming closer. There were other sounds too. Someone was yelling.

"That sounds like Silena," said Annabeth.

"They're in trouble!" Percy said before he took off in the direction of the noise, giving Annabeth no choice but to follow.

* * *

"Not good," Nico said in a low tone. "Not good, not good." He pulled on Silena's arm trying to back away from the giant boar. Its red eyes watched their every move as Silena tried to calm it down.

The nymphs brought them Percy and Annabeth's green flag that was now stuck on the branch of the tree the boar was "guarding". Their plan was starting to go sideways and Nico just wanted to get Silena away.

"I don't understand," she whispered.

"It's a beast, not enough brains to understand your Charmspeak. I think the tone of your voice is doing something but that's all," he said tugging her back.

"But my Charmespeak brought it here," she said nervously.

"I'm pretty it just came because you sounded _tastey_," he insisted.

"Well…well, okay then," she stammered. "Good boar," she said to it. "Nice boar. Now you just stay here and let us escape." They moved backwards but the boar huffed out of its huge snout and growled at them.

"Stay," Silena commanded. "Do not move." She gripped her spear tighter. Nico had drawn his sword long ago but wasn't sure he wanted to get close enough to use it.

The boar started to growl in earnest as they moved further away. It was obvious that Silena's voice couldn't hold it off forever. Something moved on the edge of Nico's vision and that's when Percy dropped down from above and landed on the boars back. They were so focused on the monster that they never even saw him climbing the tree. He stabbed at it while the boar bucked and roared. Silena wrenched herself away from Nico's grip and charged forward. She gave a thrust with her spear and caught the beast in its flank. It roared louder and rushed forward, blinded by pain and rage. The spear was yanked out of her hands with enough force to send her spinning to the ground. He ran to her but something else caught his attention.

"Hey!"

It was Annabeth. She jumped out of the brush and waved her arms at the boar. It immediately changed course and went after her. Percy was still on its back, hanging on by a handful of fur and stabbing at furiously with Riptide.

"Are you alright?" Nico asked Silena, kneeling next to her and looking her over for injuries.

"Fine," she gasped. "Ankle hurts a little and I'm dizzy."

"Stay still. I need to help them," he said.

Nico turned away from her and concentrated. His power tugged at his stomach and the ground split open in front of Annabeth. She looked shocked but not half so shocked as the boar as it ran right into a chasm full of corpses trying to pull it in. Percy jumped off and gouged its neck with Riptide. The boar squealed again before exploding into gold dust. Nico relaxed and the chasm closed like it was never there. Percy looked at Annabeth who nodded and then he turned his attention to Nico.

He was dirty all over, the left sleeve of his shirt was ripped, his chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath, those green eyes were bright with adrenalin, and his black hair was wild. As he stood there looking a disheveled mess with Riptide hanging from his hand, Nico thought he looked like Christmas morning. He let his eyes drop to the ground and tried to neutralize his expression. Annabeth ran over to them and knelt next him to check on Silena.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's just my ankle," she said glancing at Nico. Percy walked over and looked for any more trouble but Nico tried to ignore him.

"That's our flag," said Annabeth looking up in the tree.

"Yeah, we thought it was ours at first," Silena lied smoothly. "Then the boar happened. Ha! Nearly got killed for the wrong flag!" she laughed nervously.

"You okay?" Percy asked squatting down to look at Nico. The concern in his eyes made Nico want hide.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for saving us…both of you," he said turning to look at Annabeth. "You should get your flag and then this can be over."

Annabeth looked at Percy like she was asking a question.

"Are you guys giving up?" Percy asked.

"Silena's hurt," Nico said rolling his eyes. "It's more important that I get her to Chiron. Anyway, you guys earned it."

Percy looked at Annabeth and shrugged. He stood up and walked over to the tree and started to climb. Luckily they hadn't put it up too high. Nico helped Silena stand and put her arm around his shoulders and helped her limp away.

"The way he looks at you…" she whispered when they were a few feet away.

"Don't," he said. "You know it's not like that."

"Do you think we did it at least?"

"I hope so. I'm sorry you got hurt for it."

"It's not that bad. I bet I'll need one dose of ambrosia and nectar."

Percy and Annabeth refused to leave them. Percy even supported Silena on her other side and helped them get her back to the start line. Annabeth presented Drew with their flag and everyone cheered but it wasn't exactly the big victory moment Nico pictured. Percy seemed more concerned about helping him with Silena than celebrating with Annabeth. Chiron called some Apollo kids over who took her from them and carried her away. Afterwards, the horn was sounded to let the other teams know it was over.

"Congratulations to Percy and Annabeth for winning the last event!" announced Drew. "I'd like to remind everybody that these games were about compatibility and I think we've seen some interesting pairs. I always knew Silena had a thing for bad boys," Drew hinted and Nico felt embarrassed.

"I have to say I saw Percy and Annabeth coming a mile away. I mean two quests together already-"

"Will you shut up Drew? It's over," Percy yelled at her and there were a few mummers of agreement from the audience.

"Percy, why don't you go jump in the lake?" Drew said sweetly and Nico felt the compulsion of Charmspeak roll out of the megaphone.

He and Annabeth grabbed the back of Percy's shirt before he could walk off and do as she told him. Chiron confiscated the megaphone after that and the games were over.

* * *

Nico spent the next two days avoiding Percy like the plague. He stopped going to the Amphitheater, finished his meals quickly and disappeared after. Silena only had to stay in the infirmary for one night while her ankle healed, but he couldn't spend time with her either. She wanted to be with Charlie before she had to go back home for school but they hid in the arena one afternoon.

"You're still sure you want to leave it like this?" she asked gently.

"I really don't have much of a choice," he said looking at the sky.

"Well, I think you've done enough. I'll pray to my mother to forgive you, but I wish you'd let me help you with Percy," she sighed.

"Silena, you're great person," he said looking at her. She looked a little shocked but smiled. Her brown curls were loose today and her make-up was perfect as always. She was wearing a pair of jeans with holes in them that he guessed where on purpose. She even made the orange camp T-shirt look fashionable.

"I know Luke hurt you," he said. Her expression changed and she looked slightly panicked.

"How?" she breathed. He knew he had to be careful but he couldn't let her leave without saying something.

"It's that," he said nodding at her. "The look you get whenever he's mentioned. It's the same look Annabeth, Percy, and Thalia get. Look, I don't need you to tell me the details, but I hate that you're hurt over him. He doesn't deserve to have you sad for him. I want you to be happy…like you are with Charlie."

Her cheeks turned pink and her eyes were glassy. He knew it was coming before she even moved and let himself be pulled into the hug.

"Now I really hate that you won't let me help you!" she said starting to cry into his shoulder.

"I know," he said patting her back.

* * *

He stayed in the shadows and watched as Percy and Annabeth lit the first firework in honor of winning the last event of the games. He could also see Silena and Charlie and smiled at how sweet they looked. He didn't know what to do now exactly. It was the end of summer and everyone would be leaving tomorrow, including Percy. He didn't really know if he'd succeeded or failed either since Aphrodite remained silent. He'd made up his mind to leave but after that he was at a loss. The fireworks lit up the sky and this scene reminded him too much of the last time he'd been on the beach. It was at a celebration much like this where he'd watched from the sidelines as Percy and Annabeth announced their plans. He could remember how his chest hurt and the anger that had taken over.

Now he watched their younger selves laughing and joking and felt nothing but sorrow. He wished he'd let Jason stop him before he shadow traveled away and got himself into this mess. The sparks in the sky illuminated the beach and Percy spotted him. He tensed and then turned to leave but saw Percy move to follow him.

"Nico!"

He hated himself for it but he stopped walking and waited for the son of Poseidon to catch up.

"Hey, I've been looking for you. Can we talk?" he asked and Nico simply nodded.

"Come on," Percy said walking ahead of him.

* * *

"What did you want to talk about?" he asked Percy as they walked into the Amphitheater. Even here he could still see and hear the fireworks. There were distant sounds of the party too but they faded in and out. Percy looked nervous and that made him nervous. He didn't know what could be wrong or what he was expecting but the next thing Percy said wasn't even close.

"This is kind of hard to say... Umm I like you, Nico," he said softly.

They looked at each other but said nothing. His mouth wouldn't work and he couldn't tell if the loud booms going off were the fireworks or his heartbeat. He wasn't breathing right either but that fact that he was still breathing at all was a small kind of accomplishment.

"This is a joke isn't it?" he asked sadly and Percy's expression turned into one of shock.

"No! I'm serious!" Percy said loudly and his voice bounced around the space. Nico noticed the fire behind Percy was pinker than he'd ever seen it and he finally realized that it wasn't just him affecting it. He looked back at Percy and knew he was telling the truth. Those sea-green eyes were too open for Percy to be a convincing liar to anyone with half a brain.

"Wait…Annabeth. You're supposed to like Annabeth," he said dumbly.

"We're just friends. I told you," Percy said looking down at his feet.

"You like me?" Nico asked. He refused to believe he'd heard correctly.

"Well, I know it's probably weird, but yeah I like you," Percy said apprehensively. "I thought…well it's not a big deal or anything. If you don't like me like that I won't bring it up again, I promise," he added quickly.

How could he have messed up so badly? Everything he did to get them together had somehow backfired and Aphrodite was sure to be even more livid with him. But he just couldn't lie in that moment with Percy standing in front of him saying what he was saying. This was his chance –maybe his only one ever—and he just wanted to say it, just this once if he was doomed anyway.

"I do. I do like you, you have no idea, but…" he looked down and tried to figure out how to tell him.

"You do?" Percy sounded so relieved that it sped his pulse and made his palms sweat. "I wanted to know if we could…you know next summer when I come back? We could date? Or just hang out more or something?"

His smiled hesitantly at Nico and it was the worst thing in the world to see.

"Percy…please trust me. You need to be with Annabeth," he said slowly.

"What? I just told you, I don't like her that way. I like you." He took a step closer and Nico backed away. Percy looked at him curiously but didn't advance again.

"What's wrong?"

"Percy, please. We can't," Nico said firmly.

"Why?" Percy demanded. He looked nervous and angry now.

"Because I might not be here next summer or at least not for long," he said thinking about his eminent death at the hands of the Fates. "There's stuff going on with me that you can't know about and we're not supposed to end up together. I messed up," he said painfully.

"Nico, what are you talking about? We're not supposed to be together? Says who?" Percy asked incredulously.

"Everything!" Nico said bitterly. "You're the hero and the hero always gets the girl! I'm the son of Hades, and Aphrodite was nice enough to remind me that I don't get happy endings!"

"What?" Percy spat. "First off, I'm not a hero. I didn't want any of this! Second, who cares what Aphrodite says?" he stepped close enough to Nico that they were face-to-face. "This is stupid. If we like each other we should date. The gods can't control everything."

"And if I'm gone next summer?" he asked.

"Where are you going? The Underworld?" Percy asked gently.

_Yeah, permanently,_ he wanted to say but stopped himself.

"Look, can we just go watch the fireworks together at least?" Percy pleaded. "And worry about everything else later?"

He felt Percy's fingers wrap around his own and looked down at their hands and then back up at the hopeful look on the son of Poseidon's face. Maybe if he was stronger he would have pulled away but he wasn't and nodded instead. Percy smiled and he mirrored it back, but when they turned to leave Nico's blood froze in his veins. Aphrodite was standing right behind them and he had a moment to grip Percy's hand before she reached out and touched his forehead.

* * *

In less than a blink he was back in Croatia on his knees in the middle of the ruins. He just stayed there in shock because he couldn't believe any of it.

"You see?" Aphrodite walked over to a pillar in front of him and leaned against elegantly.

"See?" he repeated quietly.

"I gave Percy several possibilities in love," she said matter-of-factly. "It all depended on how things worked out. Under the right circumstances he could have fallen in love with you, but he met Annabeth first and that path was chosen."

"Oh…" he whispered. He could feel hot pin pricks of tears behind his eyes. He was trying so hard to hold himself still. He wanted to cry and scream, and rip out his hair, and maybe a little of hers, but he held it all in.

"I hope you see now how complicated my plans are and the effort I put into them," she said self-importantly.

"I…yes…I see now," he said quietly and without feeling. He was staring at the cracked marble under him because he couldn't look at her. He would lose it if he looked at her smug face.

The wind rustled his hair and helped cool the burning in his eyes but it carried a weight that made him inhale sharply.

"Mother." It was Cupid's voice and he went still as a frightened rabbit.

"Sweetheart, what are you doing here?" Aphrodite asked.

"This was once my temple. Why are you here? And with Nico di Angelo?" He really couldn't look up now. It felt like being in a cage with a lion.

"I was just explaining that his broken heart is perhaps the most beautiful I've ever seen."

"You sent him back in time?" asked Cupid.

"It was just a little trip and I wiped the minds of everyone so it won't affect history," she said flippantly.

"Are you alright, Nico?" Cupid asked. Nico almost laughed at that but decided it wasn't wise.

"I'm fine," he said even though his mouth was dry and his heart was racing. "I need to go."

He scrambled into the shadow of a pillar and melted away. He came out in the shadow of his cabin at Camp Half-Blood. It was the same night he'd vanished because the party was still going. He just ducked inside and crawled under the sheets of his bed. He broke once his head hit the pillow and cried until his throat hurt. Even after he ran out of tears his body still jerked like he had more to shed. It was in that moment that he promised himself that he wouldn't go near love again.

* * *

_End..._


	11. Chapter 11

He assumed the sun rose and set but he never saw it. He wasn't conscious often but occasionally he would hear the sounds of camp life outside his cabin. To be honest he didn't even know what day it was and he didn't care. It all bled together –the mornings, afternoons and nights. He'd wake, maybe drag himself to the shower, but most often he would just roll over and go back to sleep. Chiron had come to check on him twice and both times he'd grunted out the same responses –no, he wasn't hungry, no, he wasn't injured, there was nothing he needed or wanted.

It was all a lie. Yes, he was injured, but it was something ambrosia and nectar couldn't heal. Yes, he was hungry but didn't have the strength or energy to leave the cabin in search of food. And what he needed –wanted—was something no one could give. What he hated most were the memories. Percy smiling at him as they sat in the Amphitheater, the way he looked after slaying that boar, the warmth in the pit of his stomach when Percy asked to date him, the feeling of Percy's hand in his –so solid and real—and then it was ripped away.

He kept finding tears, to his dismay. He should have been out of them due to dehydration, if nothing else, but a few would slip out every now again. Sometimes he would wake up and find his pillow wet. It would have been kind of Aphrodite to wipe his mind too but he supposed that would defeat the purpose of her little lesson. He also cried for Silena because now he'd known her. He didn't have many people he considered true friends but Silena had become one of them now and in this time stream she'd been dead for over a year. So, he was mourning two dead people –Silena and the version of Percy that had developed feelings for him.

He should have left but his body ached and he'd become too accepting of his bed and the solitude of having a cabin to himself. He missed Hazel but at the same time dreaded any type of company. Percy and Annabeth had probably left for New Rome at some point in the few days he'd been isolated. Whenever that thought crossed his mind a fresh stab of pain would hit him and he would grab at the sleep that was always just at the edge of his mind.

He was asleep, lying on his stomach, when he felt the hand on his back. Normally he would have jumped, yelled, pulled out his sword, but now he just blinked until his eyes adjusted and stared at Favonius. Maybe if he'd had it in him he would have jumped or screamed but he didn't. He just blinked at the winged god who bent over to look down at him.

"Hello, Nico," Favonius said quietly, as if Nico would shatter if he spoke too loudly. Nico didn't respond even though he wanted to tell him to go away. He'd had enough of gods.

"Lord Cupid would like me to tell you that he is appealing to his mother on your behalf."

Nico stared at him for a second longer and then closed his eyes and buried his face in his pillow. He heard Favonius's wings rustle as his settled on the bed across from Nico's.

"Nico, do recall what I said to you in Croatia?" he asked. No response.

"About how you were in danger of having a fate sadder than mine? Well, I'm sorry for it."

Favonius must have been waiting for him to say something but he was trying his best to slip back into oblivion.

"In this alternate history you put your own feelings and aside and tried to help Percy. Your anger didn't consume you and you didn't push people away. You did everything right and that is what Lord Cupid has acknowledged."

Even if he'd wanted to talk he wouldn't have known what to say to that. He heard Favonius sigh.

"I understand what you've been through is painful. I don't think there are very many who would understand like I do, but is there none of your old fire left in you? Lord Cupid will try everything to make Lady Aphrodite change her mind, but what about you? Have you no more fight left in you, Nico di Angelo?"

He heard another sigh and then a warm breeze blew through the cabin and he knew Favonius was gone. He wished he could have argued with him but there was no point. His fire was gone, or whatever it was that had kept him going before. His fight had dried up and blown away like dust. Besides, what could he do? More specifically, what could he do that Cupid couldn't? And he hadn't asked for that jerk to step in and appeal to Aphrodite.

Not that he would ever ask. Not in a million years after what Cupid did to him. The only person who he would have ever trusted to speak to Aphrodite for him was Silena. She'd offered her help but he'd refused her thinking he would go home if he just played along with whatever her mother had planned. Now Silena was gone.

Nico jerked his head up from the pillows so hard that it hurt his neck. He grunted as he pushed his achy body up into a sitting position. It was like Zeus had sent the idea on a lightning bolt to his brain. There was something he could do that Cupid couldn't.

* * *

Everyone thought he could just shadow travel to the Underworld whenever he wanted and the truth is, he could but he preferred not to. His shadow traveling was still inaccurate at best. It took a lot of focus and he could still end up in the wrong part of his father's kingdom. It wasn't something he wanted to risk because as achy and exhausted as he was it was possible he could end up too close to Tartarus again. He was tired already from shadow traveling to the city and then he had to sneak around and steal a radio from some picnickers in the park. If he'd been strong enough he would have shadow traveled to the entrance in L.A. but this was the best he could do. He headed straight for the pile of boulders with the stolen radio hidden under his shirt. Central Park was always too busy for his liking but that was New York.

When he got to the boulders he pulled out the radio. He didn't bother to look around because he knew the mist would kick in and the mortals would just go about their day. He turned it on some station –he didn't care what—and let the music play as he watched the boulders tremble. The rock split open and the fumes assaulted his nose. He was used to the smell but he hated this entrance. It was so much longer than the other one and it carried bad memories of the time he'd lost Percy's trust.

He entered the cave and started down the steep steps. On the way he tried to figure out what exactly he hoped to accomplish. He knew now that once upon a time there had been a chance for him to be with Percy but things didn't work out in his favor. Percy was with Annabeth and he was happy and it seemed selfish to ruin that. He almost stopped and turned around when that crossed his mind, but he hesitated. He couldn't stop reliving that night. He could still smell the gunpowder from the fireworks mixing with the smell of the sea. And without meaning to it felt like he was back there again, standing in the dark Amphitheater as the explosions went off and lit up Percy's face in different colors.

The way he looked so unsure and even scared when he thought Nico didn't like him back. And then he'd gotten angry when Nico told him that they couldn't be together. The worst was remembering how Percy's hand closed around his fingers. And that one moment when he'd allowed himself to think, "we're together". He'd felt so happy. Something sparked inside of him and suddenly he felt angry. Aphrodite had given him these feelings and wouldn't even take them away when it was clear Percy had chosen Annabeth. What was wrong with him being selfish this one time? He turned around and started down the steps again. He didn't know if he would succeed but he couldn't walk away from this chance either.

* * *

His father surveyed him from his throne. It made him want to grind his teeth but he knelt in front of Hades. If he was going to ask a favor it didn't hurt to be as polite as possible. Maybe it was the ADHD but he started to wonder if his father would ever consider redecorating. Nothing ever changed in Erebos and that had to be boring. He could at least build a new jewel garden for Persephone. It would give the place a lift.

"You've been time traveling?" asked Hades curiously.

"Not by my own choice," said Nico in an annoyed tone.

"Aphrodite?" Hades asked simply and he nodded.

"I'm guessing Zeus doesn't know but if he ever finds out, she'll be in trouble. Where did she send you?"

"Camp Half-Blood, the summer before Bianca and I arrived there."

"Ah, well you're back so no harm done, I take it?" he asked sounding a bit bored.

"I need to ask a favor, father," Nico said trying to sound calm and respectful.

"That is?"

"I need to speak to a soul in the Elysian Fields and then –if she's willing—I need you to allow her to speak to her mother."

"Are you being mysterious on purpose?" Hades arched an eyebrow at him. Nico cleared his throat and tried again.

"I need to speak to Silena Beauregard. She's a daughter of Aphrodite who died in the Titan war," he said.

"And you would ask her to speak to her mother?"

He was holding his father's gaze well but Hades' questions were probing in a sensitive area.

"Yes."

"It breaks the laws of nature and balance for a spirit to leave their afterlife and interact in the dealings of the world again," he said and Nico finally looked down in defeat, "…as far as humans are concerned, that is."

Nico looked up again and saw the familiar mad glint in his father's eyes. "What?"

"Well, you are my son so speaking to spirits is natural for you and since Aphrodite is her mother she could be allowed to communicate with her. But it is still a serious thing to disturb a spirit's paradise and bring them back into the worries of the world."

Nico felt guilty and he hoped Silena would forgive him but he needed to try.

"So," said Hades with a small smile, "you'd better explain to me what is so important that I should allow this. Tell me everything that happened."

Nico felt his stomach tighten and swallowed. He told his father everything while trying to make as little eye contact as possible. He didn't know if what he was revealing would change his father's answer but there was no way to avoid it. When it was over he looked at his father and tried not to appear nervous.

"Did it have to be him, Nico?" Hades sighed and rubbed his eyes with his right hand as if he were warding off a headache.

"What?" Nico said surprised.

"Percy Jackson. Why him? He's such an irritating little…" he let the sentence drop and Nico couldn't help the little smile on his face.

"I like him," Nico said softly and looked at his father, "I really do."

They stared at each other for a while and Nico didn't try to hide how sincere he was about liking Percy. Finally his father stood up.

"Go to the Elysian Fields. If this spirit is willing to speak to Aphrodite for you, I will allow it."

* * *

Elysium was the only bright, shining place in Hades' kingdom. It was on the other side of giant cliffs with a passage through the middle. Spirits walked through the tunnel-like pass to get to paradise, which is where the visions of tunnels come from in near-death experiences. He's been this way only once before to see Charles Beckendorf after he died saving Percy. No one else knew but Nico had come to thank him for that.

The smell of barbeque hit his nose and he could hear laughter. The light in the Elysian Fields was almost blinding after the dimness in the rest of the Underworld. As soon as he stepped on the grass he felt better. It always felt like the best day ever here. The sun was out and he looked around at the Temples and Roman villas. Spirits walked barefoot and everyone looked happy, but then they had no reason not be. He could see the glitter of water off in far distance where he knew the Isles of the Blest were.

He often wondered if he would ever make it here when it was his time but shook the thought from his head. It was distracting and he needed to concentrate on Silena. It would take a while to find her on his own so he tried summoning her with his thoughts. He closed his eyes and pictured her as he'd last seen her.

"I was wondering if you would ever come visit me."

He opened his eyes slowly and tried to smile at her but suddenly he wanted to cry again. Silena looked beautiful. She was edged in white light and wearing a cream colored tube top with denim shorts. Her lustrous dark curls were loose around her shoulders and she smiled at him effortlessly. She looked like she going to a picnic, which was entirely possible.

"You remember me?" he asked.

"Well, everything came rushing back after I died. There was no reason for me not to remember once I couldn't affect history anymore," she said.

"How are you and Charles?" he asked smiling faintly. Silena blushed even as she smiled harder.

"We're so happy," she said. "Do people…when I died did everyone find out-"

"You were a hero, Silena and that's anyone says or cares about, especially Clarisse."

She looked sad but happy but then she looked at him more closely and the smile slipped off of her face.

"What happened?" she asked walking closer to him.

He told her about the night of the celebration and the fallout that followed, along with what Favonius said about Cupid talking to Aphrodite. There were precious few times when he was grateful for being the son of Hades but he was now. Ghosts were just as solid to him as living people so he was able to cling to Silena when she hugged him. He was proud of himself for not crying but still felt guilty about what he was about to ask.

"I want to talk to my mother," Silena said pulling back to look at him. "What she did to you was so unfair!"

"I know I turned you down before, but would you?" he asked sheepishly. "If this doesn't work then I guess I have to let it go but I need to know that I tried everything."

"You're right. Now, how do we do this?" she asked even as she started to glow brighter.

"Oh!" she said looking down at herself in surprise.

"You'll go straight to your mother on Mount Olympus," he said.

"Nico, no matter what happens, will you come visit me again?" asked Silena hopefully.

"Yeah, if you want me to," he replied smiling. Silena smiled wider and disappeared.

* * *

When he got back to camp nothing had changed. Percy was still gone with Annabeth. He didn't really know how to take that so he tried to distract himself a little. Going to see Hazel was too close to Percy and he wasn't sure he was ready to tell her everything. He could feel his depression trying to lure him back into the darkness and was hard to resist but he did. Favonius's words kept coming back to the front of his mind, even though he didn't know why anything the god said would matter so much. Jason finally approached him again when he started coming out of his cabin more. Seeing Silena made him want another friend to talk to and Jason was the only one who kept volunteering. He apologized for snapping at him the last time and Jason accepted it easily.

He told Nico to come to him any time if he wanted to talk but it surprised even him when Nico actually took him up on the offer. It was very early one morning when he was having trouble sleeping that he walked across the green and knocked on the door of cabin one. Once inside he retold the story again for Jason –who was sleep-drunk and kept looking at Nico like he thought he was making the whole thing up.

"You actually went back in time?" Jason asked for the fifth time. This time Nico only nodded.

"And Percy actually fell for you first?"

"Yeah," Nico said calmly.

"Well, at least we know where Cupid got it from…" said Jason petulantly. "And now he's trying to talk Aphrodite around?" he asked.

"That's what Favonius said," Nico mumbled.

"If it works I might be able to hate him a little less for what he did in Croatia," he said. Then Jason looked at him with an expression that was both sad and proud.

"And if it doesn't work…at least you'll know that you tried."

* * *

"Mother, look at him. We both know where this type of misery leads." Cupid gestured toward the image of Nico di Angelo floating in the mist in front of them.

"You're so bothersome in your Roman form, son, I wish you would change back," said Aphrodite as she sipped a glass of pink champagne and lounged on an expensive white chaise.

"I would feel this is the right choice in either form, mother," he insisted.

"Mom, please," Silena implored. "Nico is my friend and I saw the feelings between him and Percy. It's beautiful."

"Well, I have to admit it is one of my most compelling works," said the goddess haughtily.

"I believe it would be your best work if you would allow it to happen," said Cupid.

"I agree. Maybe you got in touch with a long lost part of yourself when you set this up," Silena said affectionately.

"My own children asking me to rip up a perfectly good happy ending and rewrite it," she scoffed. "And one of them is a god of love and should know what that will mean!"

"What does it mean?" Silena asked confused.

"It means changing several futures entirely," Cupid explained. "Percy and Annabeth will have children who will quest and fall in love and all of that will be undone if she changes this." He turned back to his mother. "But I believe the love between Percy and Nico would be worth it."

"It would!" said Silena.

"Who would I even pair Annabeth with? Or have either of you thought about her at all? Do you suggest I trade one broken heart for another?" asked Aphrodite as a bowl of cherries appeared out of nowhere.

"You know as well as I do that you considered pairing her with the daughter of Bellona, just as you considered pairing Nico with Percy."

"They would make a powerful couple…" she mused and ate a cherry absentmindedly.

Silena was about to open her mouth when a nymph walked in looking slightly frightened. She was a rose bush nymph with green tinted skin, and inky black hair that had blooming rose buds in it as if they grew there. It made sense that rose nymphs would serve in Aphrodite's palace since the rose was one of her symbols.

"A message from the Underworld, Lady Aphrodite," the girl said in a shaky voice and held out a black card.

"What? What does it say?" Aphrodite asked in surprise.

"Lord Hades requests that you grant a true love match between his son and the son of Poseidon. He reminds you of the fine work you did with him and his own wife, the lady Persephone, and says he would like to see his son so content. Umm…" the nymph stuttered nervously.

"Yes?" Aphrodite prompted impatiently.

"He also says that he would hate to inform Lord Zeus that you used your forbidden power and risked angering the Fates if it was all for nothing."

Aphrodite jumped up from the chaise and snatched the card away from the nymph who squeaked and ran out of the room. She read the message for herself and then growled at it. Silena and Cupid watched as the card caught fire and burned to ash in her hand.

"Dionysus he would have ignored," she muttered to herself as she paced. "I could have persuaded him it was just an exaggeration to look responsible so Zeus would relax his punishment and let him get back to drinking, but if Hades complains!" she stopped and stomped her stilettos on the marble floor.

"Fine! It's not like I have a lot of cute same-sex couples anyway and we're overdue for some," she said sounding more calm and pulling herself together.

"Mom, thank you so much!" Silena said running to hug her.

"Go back to your much deserved paradise and be well, my darling," Aphrodite said, hugging her back and sounding defeated.

Silena's spirit glowed brighter and disappeared.

"I guess I have work to do," she said sounding irritated again.

* * *

It was around the end of week two that he started to lose hope and tried to accept that nothing was going to change. He'd started burying himself in his bed again and rejecting Jason's company. One morning he just went right back to his cabin after breakfast and went to sleep. There was a knock at the door and he got up with the full intention of telling Jason that he just wanted to sleep and he didn't care how unhealthy it was. But when he opened the door it was Percy looking at him with a horror on his face like he couldn't believe Nico was real.

"It was you," Percy said in shock. "Nico, it was you back then! Like you you and-"

"You remember?" Nico asked half amazed and half afraid.

In all this time he never stopped to think if this is what Percy wanted. What if he was happier with Annabeth and angry at Nico for trying to ruin it?

"I, yeah, I remember. I don't know why but all these memories of hanging out with you before we even met just came back to me. And you were older, like the age you are now. Nico, what's going on?"

"Do you wanna…?" Nico step aside awkwardly to allow him in and then shut the door. Percy turned to face him and his expression was still wide-eyed like he was just seeing Nico for the first time.

"It was Aphrodite," he said sheepishly. "She sent me back to time to each me a lesson. She wanted to show me that if you had met me before you developed feelings for Annabeth, then…" He shrugged and looked away.

"I remember…at the fireworks, I asked you out and you said-"

"I know," Nico cut him off before he could repeat the humiliating parts of that conversation.

"You said yes…but you knew. You said you might not be around and then she was there."

"I didn't know she was going to do that right then," said Nico. He could feel his face heating up.

"So she zapped you back here?" asked Percy.

"And whiped yours and everyone else's memories of me so it wouldn't screw up history," he finished.

"Oh gods, I think I hate her!" Percy said running a hand through his hair looking around like the world didn't make sense anymore.

"Percy, I'm sorry. I wanted you to get your memories back but I guess I just need to know if…I need to know if they compare to what you feel for Annabeth at all? You can tell me the truth and I'll just never bother you again. I know you loved her first."

"It has nothing to do with who came first and I'm not even sure who that is anymore. How do we know it didn't always happen this way and I just didn't remember you?"

"I don't know," Nico said helplessly. Percy looked at him and slowly started to smile.

"I was so jealous of Silena and the way she just hugged you like it was nothing. And you spent so much time with her. Even when you'd told me you two were just friends, I was still jealous," he laughed. Nico smiled too but it was only a flash.

"Do you still like me?" Percy asked directly.

"Yeah," said Nico and he knew he was blushing bright red.

"Have you liked me this whole time?"

"Yes," he said firmly. Percy crossed the room in two steps and hugged him.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't notice and that I forgot," Percy said burying his face in Nico's curls.

"It's not your fault," he said. His heart was hammering against his rib cage but he hugged Percy back just as hard.

"No, what I felt for you was stronger. It took me years to feel that way about Annabeth and it shouldn't have disappeared that easily."

Percy pulled back just enough to kiss him. Nico felt that familiar warmth pooling in the pit of his stomach and was surprised he didn't just melt into a puddle on the spot.

"I'm moving back to camp," he said smiling at Nico.

"What?" he asked a little dumbstruck.

"I'm coming back, unless you've changed your mind about dating me." His sea-green eyes gleamed happily and Nico felt his arms tighten around him just a fraction more.

"No, but what about Annabeth?" he asked apprehensively.

"We agreed that we love each other but we're not in love with each other. I know it sounds stupid."

"No, it doesn't. But are you sure? I mean this is technically still just Aphrodite pulling the strings," Nico said sadly.

"Maybe she's just finally getting it right. Nico, Annabeth can be happy without me –she can—but I know I can't be happy without you. Not anymore."

He felt his heart contract and smiled at the boy holding him.

"Me either," he whispered and kissed him again.

* * *

_End._ Really.


End file.
